The first thing Hawke saw approaching her mansion was Orana, standing on a box, her skirt torn on the right side for ease of movement, and holding two huge kitchen knives. Sandal was sitting next to her and playing with runes. Marian smiled, seeing both of them unharmed.

'We protected the house, as you asked, Mistress,' Orana said in her usual shy manner. 'There was the explosion…'

'Boom!' Sandal added, rising his hands.

'Then people were running and shouting,' the elf continued. 'And some were trying to use the panic to cover their crimes. Some tried to break into the mansion, but we stopped them.'

'You're very brave,' Hawke put her hand on the girl's shoulder. 'Now we should all get inside.'

Marian was followed by her friends, Donnic, and the black-haired Grey Warden who had joined them in the Gallows courtyard. Bethany introduced him as Nathaniel Howe, the leader of her unit and currently the Senior Warden of Amaranthine. He joined the Order at the same time as Anders and was one of its most devoted members ever since.

'So, what do we do now?' Aveline asked while everyone dropped to the floor in Hawke's study.

'We,' Marian glanced at Anders. 'We can't stay in Kirkwall. So I guess we're packing our bags and looking for a ship that would take us away from here.'

'You've just found it,' Isabela smirked. 'I can take you anywhere.'

'May I come with you?' Merrill asked. 'I have nowhere else to go…'

'Sure,' Hawke nodded and turned to Fenris. 'What about you?'

'I planned to join Isabela's crew even before it all started,' the elf shrugged. 'So I guess we'll stick together for some time.'

'We're staying here,' Aveline gave a short nod to her husband. 'Someone should restore the order.'

'I'm staying as well,' Varric said. 'I can't leave Bartrand alone. Plus someone should cover your backs, and who would do that better than I?'

'What should I do?' Orana asked.

'Come with us,' Isabela suggested. 'I could use a cook on my ship.'

'It's decided then,' Marian stood up. 'Let's meet at the docks at midnight.'

Despite being an owner of a huge mansion, Hawke didn't have many things to take with her. She put on her most comfortable armour, fixed her best sword on her back, dropped two purses of coins and a set of knives into her bag, and added some clothes. Anders's bag was full of potions and bandages, and he had two staves bound to his back. Bethany and Nathaniel were waiting in the study.

'Why are you in Kirkwall?' Anders asked, when he and Marian finished packing and went downstairs.

'Two reasons,' Nathaniel replied. 'One doesn't concern you anymore. Another… Do you know anything about the Commander's disappearance?'

'So, it's true,' the mage leaned against the desk. 'We've only heard rumours.'

'We suspect that someone is hunting down the Order's mages. Velanna was first. One day she left for Amaranthine and never returned. Then Cassandra left for Denerim, and nobody has seen her since.'

'She was with her right-hand man,' Bethany added. 'And he was spotted in this area not too long ago. We've been trying to find him.'

'We've met Zevran, if he's the one you're talking about,' Anders shrugged.

'When? Where?' Nathaniel grabbed the mage's shoulder.

'Few weeks ago at Sundermount,' Marian answered. 'He was alone.'

'Did he say anything about Cassandra?'

'No… He was occupied with his own problems.'

'We didn't know he was with her when she disappeared,' Anders added.

Nathaniel finally let him go.

'Nate, I want to ask you something,' Bethany said. 'Let me go with Marian. I'll return to Amaranthine as soon as I'm sure she's safe.'

'Sure,' the archer nodded.

'Just like that?' Hawke stared at him in disbelief.

'I have a sister and a nephew,' the man shrugged. 'If they were in danger, I'd also leave my duty to keep them safe.'

Bethany pressed her lips to Nathaniel's cheek instead of "thanks". On any other day Hawke would interrogate her sister to know everything about her relationship with the man, but now she was ready to follow Bethany's example.

'I need to go,' Nathaniel said, hugging Bethany. 'And I have to come up with a plausible explanation for your absence.'

He left few minutes later. Bethany turned to her sister.

'Do you have a plan?' she asked. 'You always have a plan.'

'Not this time,' Hawke sighed.

'We could go to Velanna,' Anders suggested.

'Weren't you listening?' Bethany shook her head. 'She disappeared more than a year ago.'

'She left the Keep, yes. But it doesn't mean she can't be found.'

'You knew she'd left? Do you know where she is?'

'Not exactly,' he looked away. 'I know where she was several weeks ago.'

'Why would she keep you informed about her movements?' Bethany dropped into a chair. 'She'd never spoken much about you.'

'She's not your cousin. She rarely speaks of anyone but her sister.'

'That's true…' the girl smiled.

'Who is Velanna and why should we look for her?' Marian intervened.

'She's a Dalish mage. Joined the Wardens at the same time as myself and Nathaniel,' Anders answered. 'She left the Order to continue the search for her sister taken by the darkspawn.'

'How do you know that?' Bethany asked.

'We've been exchanging letters since your transfer to Ferelden. She contacted me because she needed my advice, then we decided to keep in touch.'

'Where is she?' Marian asked.

'Dragonbone Wastes. She's got a lead concerning her sister and was going to check it.'

'Sounds like a nasty place,' Hawke sighed.

'It is a nasty place,' Anders replied. 'But right now she's the only person I know who can help us.'

Leaving home with one backpack and knowing she'd never see it again wasn't a new experience for Hawke, but she knew she'd miss the warm bed, the delicious food and the illusion of a peaceful existence. At the same time she was glad there was no need to pretend that everything was alright anymore when it clearly wasn't. She was her Mother's daughter, and Leandra left the comfort of her parents' home to follow the man she loved. The mage she loved. Marian had two mages she loved and wanted to protect no matter what.

'Messere,' Bodahn called when Hawke was ready to leave. 'There is one thing I have to give you. It's a package from the Circle. A messenger brought it in the morning, but then things got messy, and I almost forgot about it. My apology.'

'It's alright,' Marian took the package from the dwarf's hands and put it into her bag. 'Are you sure you want to stay here?'

'I am. Don't worry, Messere,' the dwarf smiled. 'We've got our plans, and we're going to execute them.'

'Good luck, Bodahn…'

'Good luck to you, too…'

Standing on the deck of Isabela's ship, they looked at the silhouette of Kirkwall. Hightown was dark, only the Chantry site still gleaming with pinkish light. The docks and Lowtown were still burning, despite all the effort people were putting into extinguishing the fire. Only the Gallows looked normal, as if nothing had happened inside its walls. The templars were a very well organized group, especially when it came to securing their own lives.

Hawke glanced at her companions. Isabela and Fenris were busy setting the ship on her course, though Marian suspected the elf was just trying to stay as far away from Anders as possible. It seemed he hadn't made up his mind about the whole situation yet and kept quiet only for Hawke's sake. She couldn't blame him for that. Orana followed Isabela everywhere and tried to be useful. The three mages were standing together and discussing something in low voices. Then suddenly Bethany grabbed Anders's hand, plucked a ring from his finger and hurled it into the water, muttering something vigorously. He didn't complain. The ring disappeared with a short flash of a blue light.

'What's going on?' Hawke asked.

'Nothing,' her sister replied. 'Not anymore.'

'Not anymore,' Anders echoed.

Merrill shook her head.